Videocast: GOH Prevention Approach

We are happy to share our latest video. Our April 2012 Vidcast is from part of an interview Aaron had with our friend Patrick Maina, who serves as the project officer for African Christian Church & School's Guardians of Hope project in Kenya. In this interview, Patrick shares obstacles being faced by the church in its efforts to address the spread and impact of HIV and AIDS, and he shares an important aspect of the approach being taken by the GOH in Kenya.

You can watch the video here or download it at our page on Vimeo by following the link below.

https://vimeo.com/40647328

World AIDS Day -- December 1, 2011

CBM World AIDS Day 2011 from CBM on Vimeo.

Kampundu and her family faced the darkness of fear

with the diagnosis that both she and her husband are

HIV-positive. Life as she knew it was over. Yet within the

grip of rejection and despair, the compassionate love of

God changes all things. Through the touch, comfort and

acceptance of her church family, she found forgiveness,

healing and strength.

As we listen to Kampundu’s story, what is most

encouraging to us is how God’s healing within her life

has overflowed into love and compassion for AIDS

orphans within her small community. Kampundu and her

husband became Guardians of Hope.

We invite you and your faith community to stand in solidarity

with Kampundu and thousands of other Guardians of Hope

this World AIDS Day!

To learn more please visit the CBM Website at

http://www.cbmin.org/cbm/WAYD

Knowing Your Status

Moonlight Voluntary Counselling and Testing Centre

Embu, Kenya

On October 9th, our friends Patrick Maina and Henry Mwangi from the African Christian Church & Schools (ACC&S), participated in a moonlight VCT clinic with the Embu Guardians of Hope. We are excited to share part of their brief report!

Greetings!

I am writing to update you on the progress of Embu GOH project on their moonlight VCT. I and Henry paid a visit to Embu on 9th October to witness the event.

The event was so well organized as the local Chief together with the local OCS (Police) were in attendance. The level of stigma have gone down so much that the people are so much willing to know their status. Those in the waiting were so many such that the counselors could not handle all of them. Again from their report they were able to test about 100 people both male and female.

The importance of one knowing his/her status was well explained by the counselors emphasizing that once a person knows his or her status it helps in planning. Again the cases of discordant couples is in the increase among the married people. Once a person knows their status, it helps to prevent reinfection, and helps to prevent a mother from infecting their new born babies. Prevention of Mother To Child (PMTC) is being emphasized.

Why is it important for people to know their HIV status?

• It helps those who are not infected not to become infected

• It helps those who are infected not to infect their uninfected partners or reinfecting one another among the infected once.

• It helps those who are infected to receive support, early treatment, care and help from the community and family members.

God bless you and your family.

Patrick

Pastor Mbau taking the test

to lead others by example

Thank you for praying for the ministry of the Guardians of Hope and work of the African Christian Church & Schools in Kenya. Coming up this December 1st is World AIDS Day*. This years theme is "Getting to Zero". Canadian Baptist Ministries is currently preparing materials for churches, individuals and organizations interested in participating in the 2011 day. We will be posting links for these resources on the blog once they are ready.

WORLD AIDS DAY*

AIDS is a condition resulting from damage done to the human immune system by HIV. It affects tens of millions of people around the world. The United Nations' (UN) World AIDS Day is held on December 1 each year to honor the victims of the AIDS pandemic and focus attention on the prevention and treatment of HIV and AIDS related conditions.

Moonlight VCT

Moonlight VCT

in Embu

The ACC&S Guardians of Hope in Embu, are working in partnership with the Kenyan government to help their community know their HIV status. While the church has been promoting voluntary counselling and testing for several years, they have recently discovered a strategy for overcoming the fear and stigma attached to attending a counselling and testing centre -- hold them at night!

"We want people to know their status," shares ACC&S GOH project officer Patrick Maina. "Church members and the community have long associated HIV and AIDS with immorality, but we are helping the community understand that there are other avenues that people contract the disease. Knowing your status is key if we are to stop the spread. But more than this, we need people to access counselling and testing in time rather than waiting until they are so far gone."

Embu's next moonlight VCT visit will be on October 9th. They are anticipating 360 people over the night long event, to come and receive counselling and testing. Counselling is important, as people need to be prepared to hear their results and know what options they have. Please be praying for this vital ministry of the church as they follow Jesus' example of being available to their community, even in the dark of the night.

To learn more about the Guardians of Hope program check out the Canadian Baptist Ministries webpage at www.cbmin.org

HIV and AIDS Advent Journey

A d v e n t

Our friend and colleague, Patty Card, just sent us this wonderful link for an HIV and AIDS Advent Calendar that we are now reading each day as we journey through Advent. We invite you to follow the link below and join us as we pray for the power, and presence, of Jesus the Emmanuel (God with us!), to come into the lives of people infected and affected by HIV and AIDS.

Please pray this Advent for the countless families of Subsaharan Africa that are struggling with issues of health, poverty and insecurity. May the light of hope in Christ, dispel the darkness within all of our lives this Christmas!

Online Advent Calendar

http://server68.hostpoint.ch/~eallian/adventcalendar/

Kalimani Guardians of Hope

(Back) Dennis, Aaron, Erica, Richard, Kathryn, Jonathan

(Front) Judith, Ruth, Deborah, and Theresa

On Wednesday, we joined our CBM colleague Dennis Sherman and the Pedde family of Regina during their short term mission in East Africa. We had the pleasure of introducing them to the ministry of Guardians of Hope in the countryside of Ukambani. We were also blessed to have Ruth Minyua, the Africa Director of The Sharing Way, and members of the Africa Brotherhood Development Team with us.

Aaron and our friend Dennis

at the Tea Tot Hotel in Machakos

Guardians of Hope Kalimani

On Thursday, we travelled to Kangundo to meet with Rev. Canon Mukwilu and members of the Kalimani Guardians of Hope group. Over the past four years since its creation, the group has mobilized 90 members of this small community to help one another serve the growing number of AIDS orphans that are being taken in by aging widows and caregivers. According to pastor Mukwilu, nearly 40% of the children living in the village are orphans being cared for by grandmothers and widows.

New Borehole brings New Hope

Through the generosity of Canadian Baptists the entire community is benefitting from the digging and operation of a well that is now provide inexpensive water for families. Prior to the borehole, a family would either spend hours a day carrying water to the village or as much as 50 ksh/ to purchase the water they needed from local merchants. A family in the community can now buy that same amount of water right in the village for less than 10 ksh/. The bore hole also provides water for the local blind school, the GOH seedlings project and the church.

Guardians walking by the borehole

Income Generating Activities

Every member of the Guardians of Hope in Kalimani shares a plot of seedling with another woman that they care for together and sell at market to raise money to help HIV/AIDS orphans within the group with school fees and medical costs.

Guardians of Hope member Elizabeth Nzau

working on her Mango tree seedlings

By grafting their tree seedlings, the Guardians improve the value of their trees and greatly increase the profits earned at market.

Africa Brotherhood Church Kalimani

Each Sunday, as many as 500 people from the village and surrounding area worship here at the Africa Brotherhood Church. Through their commitment to integral mission, the church preaches and demonstrates the fullness of the gospel lived out in word and deed. Together they are bringing the transforming love of Christ into the lives of people in their community. One of the verses the women of guardians have imprinted upon their kanga skirts is 1 Samuel 8 "Up to this point the Lord has helped us!" As we gathered to hear their stories and songs of worship, it was evident that the power of faith in Christ had emboldened them to bring change to their community.

Erica with a little girl being cared

for by Veronica, a Guardian of Hope

Through the efforts of the Guardians of Hope Africa thousands of orphaned children throughout Kenya, Rwanda and Angola are being cared for by communities of faith committed to stopping the spread of HIV/AIDS. Please continue to pray for the Guardians of Hope as they sacrificially open their homes and give of their resources to protect some of the most vulnerable members of this generation.